The present disclosure generally relates to a clamping device for quickly and removably joining two pieces of moveable equipment. In particular, the present disclosure is for a clamping device for attaching a first piece of moveable medical equipment such as an IV pole to a second piece of moveable medical equipment such as a hospital bed, gurney, stretcher, wheelchair, or other patient transport device.
In a hospital or other healthcare setting, it is common for a patient to undergo treatment that includes the administration of fluids and/or drugs intravenously. Such intravenous (IV) treatment generally requires a fluid or drug to be administered supplied in a bag or other container, be positioned at some height above the point of administration and the fluid be allowed to drip, by gravity, through tubing and into the patient's vein at an administration site. It is common to hang the bag or other container with the fluid from a pole (IV pole) during administration to alleviate the need for medical personnel to hold the container of fluid.
Such IV poles are well known in the art, and generally consist of a length of adjustable tubing having one or more hooks at the upper end for hanging the container of fluid and a base with a plurality of wheels or casters to allow the IV pole to be rolled along the floor.
It is also common for a patient undergoing IV treatment to be moved about a hospital or other medical facility to undergo other required procedures. For example, a patient undergoing IV treatment may need to be moved to surgery, to have X-rays taken, to have an MRI scan, to undergo radiation treatment, or to undergo another procedure. In moving the patient, the patient is usually transferred to a patient transport device such as a stretcher or wheelchair. A common practice is simply for someone to push the IV pole as the patient is being transported. However, for one person moving multiple items, such as a patient in a stretcher or wheelchair and an IV pole, at the same time can be awkward and can result in injury for the person moving the patient. For example, the IV tubing may become tangled and pulled from the patient, or the person transporting the patient may be injured trying to control a wheelchair or stretcher and an IV pole simultaneously.
A need exists to provide a device that allows an IV pole to be quickly and securely attached and detached to a patient transport device, while allowing the person transporting the patient to focus on control of the transport device.
Furthermore, many patient transport devices, such as stretchers, have a height adjustment feature that allow the transport device to be raised or lowered to match the surface on which a patient is supported. For example, a stretcher may be raised or lowered to match the height of a bed, table, or other support surface occupied by a patient. Therefore, there is also a need for an attachment device that moves along an IV pole that is supported on the floor while the transport device to which it is attached is raised or lowered, without binding on the IV pole and without causing the IV pole to rotate, twist, tilt, or otherwise become misaligned.